


Ready As I'll Ever Be

by Dream_Wreaver



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Character Study-ish, If you want something done right, You do it yourself, inspired by a song, ml spoilers, what if
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-03-04
Packaged: 2019-11-12 00:12:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18000104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dream_Wreaver/pseuds/Dream_Wreaver
Summary: "Now it's time to stand up, or it's time to back down and there's only one option for me. And I'll stand up and fight 'cause I know that I'm right and I'm ready, I'm ready, I'm ready! Ready as I'll ever be..."





	Ready As I'll Ever Be

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this idea stuck in my head for a bit, so please enjoy some self-indulgent wish-fulfillment

The moment the plan had formed she’d known it was a bad idea. A bad idea from start to finish, though not bad in the sense one might think. From a technical standpoint, it was actually rather ingenious. Then again, planning things had always been her forte. Nathalie lived to organize, and rearrange, to make things the most productive they could be. The near victory on Heroes’ Day was proof enough of that. Gabriel might have thought himself a puppet master, but she was the one really pulling the strings. Still, it made him happy to feel he was in control, and she lived to make him happy. So she was content to let him think he was a villainous mastermind, when really he was a broken man dancing with delusions of grandeur.

It had taken months. When Nathalie played, she played the long con. But partly, it was because schedules were busy, and she had to keep that in mind. Faking a meeting had been easy when it was set several months ahead of time. The harder part was taking up the fortitude to exploit Gabriel’s own weaknesses. He trusted her, too much for his own good. But then again, this was  _ all _ for his own good. She wanted him to be happy, she would do anything to  _ make _ him happy, even if he ended up hating her for it. But in order to be convincing, she had to be sincere. That night…

She was the worst sort of person, in the end. The sort of person she had sworn she would never become when she entered the business world. She had broken her only rule, and she would do it again. When she was victorious, she was perhaps the only person who would remember. In a few years, maybe she would be able to look on it as a fond memory, her own forbidden secret of the night her dreams had somewhat come true, instead of now when all she could really feel was that Gabriel wasn’t a monster, but she was. Her gaze was fixed on the statue of Emilie down in the garden below. Gabriel kept his more private rooms even above Adrien’s, he’d always liked being the master of all he surveyed, it wasn’t a surprise that he was no different here.

The sound of soft snoring met her ears, and Nathalie turned away from the window in the dawn’s light of the new morning. She held she sheet closer to her body as it did, draping it around herself like a gown made of liquid. There were still many more blankets on the bed she’d vacated, and a body to warm them. Gabriel slept fitfully, though that wasn’t a surprise. Nathalie observed him, she’d wrung him out for all he was worth last night, scratch marks gashed deep into his back and hickeys littered his skin. This was all she’d be able to get, so she had taken full advantage of it. And then, there was the little matter of the something she had slipped into his glass of water when she’d claimed to be thirsty in the middle of the night. No, Gabriel wouldn’t be waking up any time soon, and by the time he did, it would be too late. Nathalie was tempted to place a lingering kiss goodbye against his brow, but she couldn’t afford the risk. Her fingers itched to touch him again, amorously or no, but he wasn’t hers to touch, to hold, nothing. He belonged heart and soul to Emilie. And Nathalie would help him succeed no matter the cost.

She stifled a cough as she gathered up her clothes and left. But not before carefully slipping her prize out from his bedside drawer. Sleepily, Nooroo followed after her, not even realizing he’d shook one master and gained another. Duusu floated outside the door, not approving of Nathalie’s methods, but knowing better than to say anything to the contrary. She knew this was Nathalie’s last stand. If this failed… Nathalie didn’t even want to think about it. With each use of the peacock miraculous she grew weaker and weaker. If this failed, she’d end up just like Emilie. Only she was hoping this extra bit of magic would help prevent it, at least until she could claim total victory.

Because she did not need Nooroo at the moment, she merely tucked his brooch into her blazer’s pocket and instructed that he and Duusu stay out of sight while she ran her errand. Everything else had already been put into place, and none of it would be able to be traced back to her. The car pulled up to the Paris Hotel and after a few moments of waiting her bait stepped out. She strutted like a peacock, but had no business doing so. Style Queen or not, Audrey Bourgeois was barely worth anyone’s time, patience, or sanity. But she would be the perfect bait, and all because her daughter had wanted her approval.

“You’re late!” Audrey sneered as Nathalie opened the door for the famous fashionista, “And I could have sworn I instructed Gabriel not to let that horrid driver anywhere near me ever again.”

“Apologies Mrs. Bourgeois,” Nathalie replied emotionlessly, “But he’s the only driver Gabriel trusts these days. And as for being late, we are fifteen minutes early,”

“Early is late these days, don’t you know?” Audrey countered, “You both are fired!”

“And as I told you the last time you attempted to fire me; I don’t work for you, I work for Mister Agreste.” Patience Nathalie, patience. It would be worth it in the end.

“Allow me to call him then,” Audrey was instantly reaching for her phone.

“I can handle that if you wish,” Nathalie was quick to stop her, “Why not take a deep breath and calm down. Mister Agreste has been looking forward to meeting with you.”

“I assume anyone would, he owes me more than he could ever repay.”

“You’ve stated as much,” Nathalie made the motions of hitting a few places on her phone and holding it up to her ear for around thirty seconds. Then she lowered it, “He doesn’t appear to be answering. Then again, there’s a reason why  _ I _ was the one sent to retrieve you.”

Audrey scoffed, “Ever since Emilie disappeared that man has been nothing but a wreck. I’m surprised his designs haven’t suffered as a result.”

Nathalie’s grip tightened around her tablet. Her emotions were getting the better of her, which she couldn’t allow to happen if she wanted to succeed. She had to put up with Audrey’s prattling until they reached their destination, which thankfully she didn’t notice until it was too late. Audrey stared at the abandoned looking warehouse with a mix of shock and disgust.

She began to rage, “Where are-” but a sudden stinging pain in her neck silenced her. And then, she felt… woozy. She wobbled in her heels until she lost all strength, and consciousness. Nathalie stared down at her prone form on the ground with an almost sadistic glee lighting in her eyes. Phase one was accomplished, now onto the next part of her plan.

MLB

When Audrey woke up it was to find herself tied to a chair in a dingy, dirty warehouse. Light barely filtered through the dusty windows, and she recoiled to hear the squeaking of rodents as they scuttled around in the shadows. That assistant was really going to get it when Audrey got out of here. What was her name again?

“N-Natasha!” she bellowed, “Untie me this instanstant or you’re fired!”

A low, husky chuckle met her ears in response, “Funny,” an equally dark sounding voice replied, “You think that  _ frightens _ me? You clearly don’t know who you’re dealing with.”

“Well whoever you are, you’re fired!” Audrey spat with haughty satisfaction.

“I wouldn’t be so snotty if I were you,” the voice informed her, “No one knows where you are, except you, and me. Though, I plan on changing that, very soon.”

“What was even the point of kidnapping me then?” Audrey huffed, “Andre might be dumb, but he’s not dumb enough to fall for a ransom scheme that open.”

“I don’t plan to ransom you for money,” the voice replied, “I have something much more valuable in mind.”

“What?”

“In a moment, you’ll find out. Or rather, you’ll remember.”

“Who are you?” Audrey peered into the darkness, made darker still by the fact that she was still wearing her sunglasses.

“Me?” that low chuckle, now somehow more ominous and spine-chilling echoed around her. From out of nowhere a gust of wind knocked Audrey’s hat and sunglasses off her face. She could see a little more clearly, but not much. From out of the shadows stepped an almost indescribable being. Purple and blue ombre hair, kept out of their face with a lavender headband. What looked like a dark purple suit jacket, with large black wing-like lapels, and tails that faded to what resembled peacock feathers around her ankles. Deep blue high heeled boots clacked along the floor as she made her way to Audrey. At her chest was an odd decoration, a butterfly pin fused to a peacock brooch. A curved mask with sharp downward sloping points in a moonlight silver covered her face. Though it wouldn’t have mattered regardless, because the woman’s skin was blue, and her eyes were unnatural, with blue whites and hot pink irises that glowed with unholy delight at the captive struggling in front of her.

A hand clad in black fingerless gloves reached out and tilted Audrey’s chin up to meet the face of her captor, “I’m the one who’s going to put an end to this, one way or another.”

Audrey had to hold back a gulp of fear. There was something just the tiniest bit unhinged about this woman. And somehow her snide quips weren’t coming so easily as they had before. Her captor let go of her chin and turned around, revealing a small film camera already set up, along with a small computer setup,

“Well now,” the woman said conversationally, “Shall we begin?”

MLB

There was always the possibility of going to the news. But it was so much trouble to accomplish that. And so much easier to submit something to a well known blog. A blog so well known the odds were astronomically small that the heroes themselves didn’t keep tabs on it. And that’s what she was counting on.

At Francois-Dupont, Alya received a notification that someone had submitted a video to her blog. The moment she attempted to review it, she knew that she had no choice but to post it, as much as it galled her to. But Ladybug and Chat Noir  _ had _ to see this. She did so with the most austere and serious caption she could think of, and a short description saying she had no other option than to post it. A fact she bemoaned as she talked about it with Marinette later that day.

“How did someone force you to post a video?”

“I really don’t have a choice,” Alya replied, “Ladybug and Chat Noir  _ need _ to see this,” and with that she pulled out the phone, and showed her the video. The first second didn’t look too impressive, as it showed nothing but shadows. And then it appeared, rather  _ she _ appeared.

A super without a doubt, the question was whether she was a super _ hero _ , or a super _ villain _ . As she stood back the two girls caught a glimpse of the peacock and butterfly miraculouses pinned to her chest. Why did she have Hawkmoth’s miraculous?

“Ladybug and Chat Noir,” she greeted, “I am Madame Violet. Thanks to me, Hawkmoth is no longer an issue. But I can assure you, that  _ I  _ am. However, I don't have to be. I have a simple request, the use of your miraculouses for a short period of time. I'm sure you're wondering how I could be so bold, demanding that which endows you with the ability to protect Paris and its citizens. Well, allow me to ask you a question in response, how much do you truly care about Paris’ citizens? I for one am dying to find out, so let me show you what I've done,”

She stepped back to reveal Audrey Bourgeois kidnapped and tied to a chair. As of right now she looked annoyed, but little else. It seemed Madame Violet was unperturbed by this though.

“I will give you until sunset this evening to renounce your miraculouses, temporarily of course. Do so through the Ladyblog. If you do not however,” here she paused and let out a low, bone chilling chuckle, “You won't want to see what I’ll do to her. You have my terms, and you have your time limit. And this time, my dear superheroes, luck will  _ not _ be on your side.”

The feed cut out and that was the end of Madame Violet’s message. Marinette was horrified. Audrey Bourgeois was far from the nicest person in the world, but she was still under the protection of Ladybug and Chat Noir, who'd sworn to protect every citizen from Hawkmoth, and now they would from his successor. Though, for someone to have defeated him and stripped him of his miraculous meant they were incredibly powerful. And smart, Marinette realized as she saw Chloe’s brow furrows in anger and frustration. Both the blonde and her father were absolutely subservient to the queen of style. Which meant kidnapping her would put pressure on the mayor to abuse his powers and demand they give up their miraculouses in order to get her back. Madame Violet's threat had been vague enough to allow for a good number of horrifically creative ideas, and a worried husband would be running through each of them.

For her part, Chloe raced off after viewing the video. Marinette had a good idea of where she was headed. That stupid Queen Bee signal. But if playing nice with Chloe would help take pressure off Ladybug and Chat Noir, it might be beneficial to them to do so. And as a matter of fact, since they were facing someone who wielded two miraculouses simultaneously, it might not be a bad idea to have some backup just in case. She would have to ask Master Fu.

MLB

“What do you think Master Fu?” Marinette asked as she stopped by the old man’s place later that day, “We only have a few more hours before sunset, and we don’t even know where this villain is, much less where she’d keeping Audrey Bourgeois. I know Chloe is going to want to help, and we might be able to keep her father from ordering us to relinquish our miraculouses if we keep her along.”

“So long as you trust her to return the miraculous when she is done,” Master Fu mused, “I’m certain she wants nothing more than to save her mother, and it will provide her with a goal to reach. However, I am a little uncertain…”

“Should I bring in the whole team?” Ladybug mused.

“That is what I am uncertain about,” Master Fu replied, “Hawkmoth has been defeated only to be replaced with a villain who has already realized how to fuse miraculouses. Thanks to the incident on Heroes’ Day, he already knows about the presence of more miraculouses in Paris, and from what Wayzz told me, he knows of my presence after the Kwami attempted to contact Nooroo. Hawkmoth’s goal was not as simple as simply recovering yours and Chat Noir’s miraculouses, even if it likely started out that way. I doubt that this new villain wants only them as well.”

“What if we use this opportunity for a trap?” Marinette asked, “If we have the whole team waiting in the wings, we could make it seem like we’re going along with Madame Violet’s plans and then ambush her.”

“If you have confidence in your plan, I will have faith in you,” Master Fu nodded, retrieving the Miracle Box from its hiding place and opening it up, “Marinette Dupain-Cheng, choose your allies to accompany you on this mission,”

MLB

“Are you sure about this My Lady?” Chat asked later on. They’d just finished going over the plan with Mayor Bourgeois and Chloe. Rena Rouge and Carapace were already suited up and waiting in their positions. Chloe, being visible as the mayor’s daughter and as Queen Bee would have to wait, transforming only when the villain appeared to immobilize her. If this worked, they’d have both the missing miraculouses back, and have a link to Hawkmoth as well.

“What choice do we have Kitty?” Ladybug asked in reply, “Mayor Bourgeois is so worried about his wife. That was exactly what Madame Violet was hoping for. If he was desperate enough, he would order the rest of the city to hunt us down and take our miraculouses. Either way, she would have open access to them. At least if we play along we have a shot of catching her unawares.”

“Do we?” Chat wondered, “If she was powerful enough to take down Hawkmoth…”

“For all we know, she caught him by surprise,”

“Hawkmoth doesn’t fall for surprises,” Chat reminded her, “It was why it took until Heroes’ Day for us to come face to face with him. I’m just worried this all seems a little too easy.”

“What choice do we have?”

“You’re right, I trust you,” Chat nodded, “Alright, let’s do it.”

MLB

Sunset fast approached in the dim warehouse. Aside from a few untouched meals Madame Violet had tried to feed her, Audrey had remained bound and gagged. That hadn’t stopped her from expressing her displeasure though. Eventually, Madame Violet had decided to allow her to talk again.

“You’ll be sorry when my husband gets his hands on you!” the queen of fashion hissed.

“A spineless bureaucrat who can’t even stand up to his own wife, I’m terrified,” Madame Violet retorted, tone a deadpan snark, “Or am I supposed to be afraid of your little superheroine daughter, hm? Was that going to be your next quip?”

Audrey was silent, not wanting to let the woman know she was right and not able to come up with a better retort.

Madame Violet scoffed, “I’m not afraid of anyone, because I have nothing more to lose.” Nooroo’s strength was helping to keep Duusu in check. As much as the butterfly had resisted, he admitted that this was the last and only chance. If she failed now, there would be no doubt Nathalie’s face would be the same as Emilie’s. And that was why she was determined to succeed. Her eyes flitted to the monitor, where the ladyblog rested. Idly she clicked refresh, nothing yet. But they would comply, they had no choice  _ but _ to comply. One more refresh, she saw a new video pop up, a countdown to a live video. Bingo. With an expectant smile on her lips Madame Violet turned around and faced Audrey again, “Any moment now, your highness,”

Audrey glared, “Just what is this world coming to, when this is what you’d be willing to do for stupid jewelry?”

“Yes, yes, I know. This is a pretty far level to sink to,” Madame Violet agreed, “But let me assure you, whatever I’ve done, whatever I will do, every last bit of it is something you deserve.”

“What?”

“I’m the bad guy,” Madame Violet shrugged, “Fine, that’s quite alright. Believe me when I say my descent into villainy is no fault of mine, do you want to know whose it is though?”

“Whose?”

Madame Violet laughed, low and chillingly. With her heels clacking against the floor she strode closer and closer, “You,” she hissed, taking hold of the blonde’s chin, “You were supposed to be his masterpiece. When you failed, I thought he might finally give up. I had dared to hope he might be ready to move on, begin healing.” her eyes were far away as she spoke, “And  _ then _ , your daughter found that stupid box. And because you were an even worse parent than him, she abused it to try and impress you. And do you know what that did? That gave him  _ hope _ , he continued because of your little family. So this. This is all  _ your fault _ !”

Now her pink eyes radiated hatred, so intense, so vitriolic even Audrey felt her usually unaffected self quail beneath it. Madame Violet let go of her chin in a disgusted fashion and strode away, “But now,” she continued quietly, “Now is the time to stand up, stand up or back down. And I’m sure you can see there’s only one option. I will no longer be ignored. I  _ will _ be heard. I  _ will _ be obeyed. And I  _ will _ be victorious.”

“Why?” Audrey couldn’t help but ask, “What will any of this achieve?”

Madame Violet chuckled self-deprecatingly, “I never wanted to do this, believe me. On this if nothing else. I never,  _ ever _ wanted it to come to this. But,” she added as the live video began, “I’ll do it if it guarantees they hear me.”

On the screen Ladybug and Chat Noir stood besides the Mayor and Chloe Bourgeois. The latter looked close to tears. Well, she was certainly putting on a show, wasn’t she?

“Madame Violet,” Andre began, standing at his podium, “Ladybug and Chat Noir have agreed to your demands and stand here ready and waiting to relinquish their miraculouses to you. All you need to do is return my wife, safe and sound, and you will be given them.”

Madame Violet chuckled again, “They do think themselves clever, don’t they?”

“What do you mean?” Audrey asked, “Aren’t they doing what you asked? Let me go!”

“Oh believe me, I will,” Madame Violet turned once again to Audrey, “But I learned a lot the last time I faced them. And I’m not one to be made a fool of twice.” With a snap of her fingers, a white butterfly rose from the cane that had been fastened at her hip and landed in her hand. Cupping one over the other, she infused the insect with dark energy, and sent it towards Audrey.

Much like Caline Bustier had, Audrey resisted. But Madame Violet’s will was far stronger than anyone who knew her civilian self might have given her credit for. Smothering the resistance was easy and now she was pliable, “Queen of Hearts,” Madame Violet ordered, “Rise,”

The dark energy covered Audrey, breaking the bonds and allowing her to stand, completely transformed. The butterfly mask appeared before her eyes, and Madame Violet continued, “You have one objective and one objective only, to gain as many miraculouses as you can. Paramount to this objective is to gain Ladybug and Chat Noir’s miraculouses. I will give you the ability to capture the hearts of all Parisians to assist you in this task. But you will take no prisoners, if any superheroes try to stand against you,” Madame Violet paused a moment, looking sternly into her akuma’s eyes, “Destroy them, without mercy. And here, take this,”

She drew out her fan and plucked a feather from it, infusing the energy from Duusu into it and sending it into the Queen of Hearts’ scepter. Materializing behind her was another sentimonster, a large black dove. Already Madame Violet could feel the drain from using the powers of both miraculouses so close to one another, but she wanted her champion to be well prepared for the battle ahead. She braced her weight on the cane and sent the Queen off before retreating to the roof observatory. She would watch the battle from here, and with any luck even if Queen of Hearts was defeated she could escape before they found this place again.

This was it. It all came down to this. The line was in the sand. Her moment was at hand. Was she ready? She was ready, she was ready.

Madame Violet muttered to herself, “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment and let me know what you thought. Thanks for reading and I'll see you all next time


End file.
